Elements of an Effective Layout

Dorothy Cohen’s explains that a good layout should attract attention and interest and should provide some control over the manner in which the advertisement is read.  She goes on to say that in addition, the most important aspects of an effective layout are balance, proportion, movement, utility, clarity, and emphasis.  This specifically is the analytical tool for this article. She goes into great detail about each aspect.  In my opinion the most important principles are unity and clarity/simplicity.  If the layout of an advertisement isn’t unified then it throws off the whole point of it.  Although many different elements tie into a specific advertisement, they should all use the same basic shapes, color, sizes, textures, and mood in order to achieve unity.  Aside from unity, the clarity and simplicity should also be effective.  Too much information or a cluttered advertisement can defeat the purpose of advertising.  It could potentially steer a viewer away.

It is weird to think about all the different principles and elements that go into an advertisement because when we are flipping through a magazine or watching TV we don’t think about all this.  We are just viewing the advertisement for what it is.  With that said, I don’t really think that this ruins an advertisement or makes it any less interesting.  Marketing is my major, so I find this analytical thinking interesting.

Democracy of Goods

The whole idea of advertising is to advertise across a broad variety of people.  It is difficult to do however, when catering to different social classes.  Roland Marchand’s main point in “Democracy of Goods” is defining democracy in terms of “equal access to consumer products.” This is the analytical tool of this article.  This whole concept is still used to today, a lot of times in the fashion world.   When you are looking at advertisements these days, the economic differences in social classes are recognized.  Things are perceived in the sense that all people can afford the same desired product.

The specific example Marchand uses in this article is “Cream of Wheat.”  It essentially summarizes that “every mother can give her youngsters the fun and benefits of a Cream of Wheat breakfast just as do the parents of these boys and girls who have the best that wealth can command.

Advertising

One of the most effective forms of advertising today is the use of guerrilla marketing.  Guerrilla marketing relies on time, energy and imagination rather than a big marketing budget.  The campaigns are usually unexpected and unconventional and targeted in unexpected places.  The goal is to generate buzz and as a result gain viral media.  An example of this I recently saw in a magazine was for a particular brand of camera.  There was a 3D sculpture of a dog in the middle of some grass and the dog looked like you were looking at in the form of pixels versus a smooth image.  The sign next to the sculpture read “SEE IT IN MORE DETAIL.”  Under the powerful sentence was a picture of the camera and the brand name.  It was all very simple looking but really got the message across.  Sometimes in advertisements I think less is more. 

One of the first things that popped in my mind for the most ineffective advertisement is the Spangles commercials.  These absolutely annoy me.  I feel like they look very unprofessional and they are corny.  After watching one of their commercials I don’t want to go and eat their food at all.